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Rangers Daily: Appreciating Gavrikov; Bedard closer to Blackhawks return
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- Rangers Daily: Appreciating Gavrikov; Bedard closer to Blackhawks return
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
You know who far too often gets overlooked with the New York Rangers? Vladislav Gavrikov , that's who. And such was the case Sunday, when the Rangers overwhelmed the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 at Madison Square Garden.
The headline grabbers were Tye Kartye and Will Cuylle — each with two goals, Dylan Garand — who stepped into the starter's crease and calmly turned aside 19 of 21 shots, and Alexis Lafreniere — who extended his point streak to four games and scored his fifth goal in the past three.
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Yet, there was Gavrikov, providing yet another quietly very effective performance. He's an absolute pillar on which the vastly improved Rangers defense corps is built. The 30-year-old logged 20:22 TOI, including 1:15 on the Rangers only penalty kill of the night, and turned in yet another tremendous performance.
At 5v5, Gavrikov was one ice for four of New York's six goals, and one against, and the Rangers had a 19-9 advantage in scoring chances, including a whopping 8-0 in high-danger opportunities. With Gavrikov out there, the Rangers had an expected goal share 5v5 of 74.28 percent, per Natural Stat Trick , and out-shot the Canucks 13-5.
Yes, Gavrikov benefits from playing on the top defense pair with Adam Fox — who was no slouch Sunday — nor the first seven games, so far. But you better believe Fox benefits from partnering with Gavrikov, too. And that shows up in the underlying numbers, which highlight a drag on Fox's effectiveness when he pairs with rookie Alberts Smits , typically after a New York penalty kill.
New York goal!
Scored by Tye Kartye with 01:35 left in the 2nd. Assisted by J.T. Miller and Vladislav Gavrikov.
NYR: 3 | VAN: 2 #VANvsNYR #NYR #Canucks pic.twitter.com/mbnwxyZNDS— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 11, 2026
Gavrikov picked up the secondary assist on what proved to be the game-winning goal late in the second period. His quick puck movement set the play in motion, with J.T. Miller then zipping a cross-ice pass to Kartye, who buried his second goal past Kevin Lankinen to make it 3-2 Rangers before the second intermission.
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He has five points (one goal, four assists) already, just one behind Fox. And at the other end of the rink, Gavrikov leads the Rangers with 15 blocked shots. Last season, when Fox missed 27 games due to injury, Gavrikov set career highs with 14 goals and 35 points, and averaged nearly 24 minutes TOI playing all 82 games.
Smart reads, crisp on-point passes, a cannon of a shot, poise, and an understated workhorse approach to his craft. Gavrikov, signed to a seven-year, $49 million contract in the summer of 2025, just might be Chris Drury 's best acquisition — and biggest bargain — since becoming Rangers GM.
New York Rangers news and analysis
Wendell Cruz-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Here's the complete game recap and story from the Rangers' 6-2 win over the hapless Canucks on Sunday.
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We've got plenty of key Rangers takeaways from their victory Sunday at The Garden, including a specific winning formula seven games into the season.
ICYMI: Liam Greentree scored his first pro goal Saturday for Hartford down in the American Hockey League. Side note: the 20-year-old scored again for the Wolf Pack on Sunday.
NHL news and rumors
David Gonzales-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
NHL.com: It's a big step in the right direction for one of the League's young stars, as Connor Bedard took part in his first full-contact practice with the Chicago Blackhawks following offseason shoulder surgery.
Sportsnet: Fans in Philadelphia serenaded the home team with chants of "Fire Tocchet!" as the Flyers lost again Sunday, 4-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. Philly is 0-5-2 to start the season, have a slew of injuries, and coach Rick Tocchet is on the hot seat one year removed from getting the Flyers back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Daily Faceoff: Speaking of the Flyers and injuries, forward Travis Konecny landed on IR with a lower-body injury.
TSN: Mark Masters analyzes how the Toronto Maple Leafs must get by for a bit without "heart-and-soul" defenseman Chris Tanev, who landed on IR with an upper-body injury this past weekend.
New Jersey Hockey Now: Devils forward Evan Rodrigues was fined the maximum $5,000 by NHL Department of Player Safety for high-sticking Canucks forward Marco Rossi in the seciond period of New Jersey's 4-1 win on Saturday.
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